SuperTalk Mississippi News

Federal forecasters expect Tropical Storm Erin to strengthen over the next several days and say it could become a hurricane by late Thursday. We caught up with Sean Cross with the Hurricane Hunters.

U-S Education Secretary Linda McMahon has announced plans for a 50-state tour as part of the Trump administration's push to return classroom control to the states. McMahon says the idea is to get to know the people in each state and help them identify what is and isn't working. As of now, no information has been provided on when McMahon will stop in Mississippi.

He may have stopped just shy of announcing a bid for governor, but Mississippi billionaire Tommy Duff was not bashful about his vision for the future of the Magnolia State during a GOP gathering in Flowood on Monday night. The Pine Belt native owns Southern Tire Mart, the largest truck tire dealership and retread manufacturer in the nation, with his brother, James. They also own Duff Capital Investors, the largest privately owned business in the state. If the Republican were to announce a bid for Governor, he'd be joining what's expected to be a crowded field.

MORE INFO: https://www.supertalk.fm/a-new-perspective-mississippi-billionaire-tommy-duff-outlines-vision-for-future-of-magnolia-state/

The city of Tupelo was allowed to shine on a national stage this morning, thanks to a visit from Steven Doocy of Fox & Friends. Lucia Randle, the Executive Director of Tupelo Main Street, told us the entire city was buzzing.

A Bay St. Louis resident who scraped his leg on a boat trailer last month contracted Vibrio vulnificus, or flesh-eating bacteria. 77-year-old Basil Kennedy passed away on July 21. Cases of the deadly bacteria, which are most concentrated in coastal waters between May and October, have been on the rise across the Gulf.

Several law enforcement agencies in Mississippi are cracking down on hemp-based products that are commonly sold at gas stations.

Coast law enforcement officers have been notifying local businesses that the sale of hemp-based products intended for human consumption outside of a dispensary is illegal. Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter began enforcing the law last week. Poplarville Police Chief Chad Dorn issued a similar notice on Friday. DPS Commissioner Sean Tindell told us statewide enforcement is the next step.

About 40% of the nation's nearly 1.2 million hired farmworkers lack legal status, according to the Agriculture Department. And ICE raids are contributing to the labor shortage in the industry. The H-2A program has been a saving grace for some. Some farmers who use the H2A program say the cost is a downside, because they have to provide housing and transportation in addition to wages.

George County native R-J Tanner was left paralyzed in a motorcycle accident over four years ago. However, his life is now being steered in a new direction with the help of emerging medical technology. Tanner recently became one of a handful of people worldwide to have a Neuralink brain implant through Elon Musk's neurotechnology company.

MORE INFO: https://www.supertalk.fm/i-got-my-life-back-mississippi-man-uses-brain-implant-to-regain-independence/

Syphilis is a nationwide epidemic, and Mississippi has not been spared. The Magnolia State has seen an 80% increase in overall cases and a 1,000% increase in congenital syphilis, which is when the disease is passed from mother to baby. Mississippi ranks No. 2 in the nation for Chlamydia.

A Tupelo man has been charged with two counts of simple assault on a law enforcement officer. Officers pulled over a vehicle for an equipment violation on August 8 on North Green Street and found evidence that led to a probable cause search of the vehicle. They allege that 30-year-old Lacarius McCoy tried to destroy evidence. When they tried to take him into custody, McCoy allegedly bit two officers. Plus, the body of a deceased male found between two buildings in Brookhaven on Monday will be sent to the State Medical Examiner's Office for an autopsy. Investigators are still trying to determine the identity of the man and whether foul play was involved in his death.